Summer in the city--unusually hot for San Francisco. So I did an unusual thing (for me). After reviewing many many NAM threads on tires and wheels I wanted to see after market wheels in real life. Ventured to the next town (Daly City) and cruised a boulevard of parking lots and low buildings with offers painted on plate glass windows.

I found the little wheel shop recommended by car nut acquaintances (who drive souped-up Toyotas but should be old enough to know better). Lotsa wheels. Brands I never encountered on NAM. I can't remember some, but one was Japanese that included "-meister" in its name--good looking wheel too. The two sales staff were very helpful and even went outside to admire my car (stock MCSa). MINIs are rare in Daly City! After I told them I wanted something light and strong they recommended 5Zigen FN01RC (which I recall was a NAM-OK brand--not quite SSRs, but acceptable). I wondered about anthracite, but they recommended matt black for my color combo (PW/B).

They also recommended 17", but we ended up with 16"s because I wanted a skosh more cushion that a higher profile tire might offer. Only one brand came up on their computer (they are not really a tire shop) for the size I requested (215/50-16), but it was another NAM-OK brand (Kumho). So that was it. Supposed to arrive early next week. Nice folks.

I thought that was the end of my "car experience" day, but there was one more installment. When we were admiring my car one of the sales staff noticed my rear tire was very low. Indeed! The tire warning light had not illuminated. But when I started the car it was lit. Being THAT kind of neighborhood I was able to drive one block (admittedly a 1/4 mile long block) to a Goodyear - Dunlop dealer (my tires are Dunlop). They cheerfully repaired it, but could not reset the light even after 3 people made a search of the dashboard with manual in hand. They told me mine was the first MINI they had serviced. Clever me, I found the reset button on the console after I got back in the car. Only $24 to fix the flat and very friendly people.

So now I must unload my R84s and OEM tires. Guess that's a Marketplace thread.

 

Glad to hear you got your flat fixed OK.

16" 5Zigens FN01RC are fine.
16x7" +42mm offset (+33 offset available in different rim colors) 14.5/15 pounds about $172 each at edgeracing.com

Normally most owners mount 205/50-16 tires with outer diameter of 24.1"
It's a common size and the tire can be one pound lighter than 215/50-16 which has an outer tire diameter of 24.5". Both can work.

Tirerack.com shows for Kumho in 215/50-16:
Ecsta Supra 712 for $81 each 340 AA V rated (ultra HP summer tire)
Ecsta ASX for $86 each 420 AA W rated (ultra HP All season tire)

Another option for the same sized tire is:
Avon Tech M500 for $91 each 280 AA W rated (ultra HP summer tire)
(More performance, less durable)

Let us know how everything works out for you.

 

Thanks, Minihune, for all the information. I looked up your previous posts on wheels and tires before making my compromised decision (I know you have forged Centerline wheels for the street so my first choice--not knowing what Centerlines look like--was to get a forged wheel such as SSR or 5Zigen).

I really appreciate that on line dealers give us consumers excellent prices--especially Tire Rack and Edge Racing. I remain torn between buying on line and supporting non-chain locals. In this case, because I made some extra money and because this whole thing is an extravagance for me anyway, I decided to buy from a local speed shop even though I would be paying a premium. The shop I went to used to supply all the Japanese hot rods around here (lotsa small, low cars sported their decal throughout the 80s and 90s), but it now appears dark and dingy-- perhaps having lost its business to the Internet.

One problem is that the shop did not have an example of any 5 Zigen in stock and the salesman sneered when I mentioned SSR (although BBS, Momo and others were in evidence). He explained that the advantage of forged over cast is that forged is lighter but not necessarily stronger than a heavier cast wheel of the same design. So that is why he decided I needed cast and not forged and wrote FN01RC on the order form (the forged version, FN01R, weighs 2.7 pounds less). I know he overcharged me on both the wheels and tires ($150 apiece for the Kumhos--he did not know which model). But he told me he was throwing in the lug nuts and wheel locks for free. I remembered the prices on the Edge Racing web, but did not want to embarrass him by quoting them. It was a gorgeous afternoon and both sales staff made a big fuss about my MINI being an automatic S and having a great color combo. Live and let live.

Last night I emailed 5 Zigen USA to ask how to tell the difference between the FNO1RC (cast) and the FN01R (forged) just by looking. Today I got a response. I had not expected such service from a national distributor. Not only did they tell me--no difference at all if the FN01RC graphic is removed--but they also thanked me for buying their wheel and quoted me a list price that I did not ask for--$180 apiece (admittedly much lower than what I have been charged).

This morning, out of curiosity, I called 5 Zigen USA to ask about the weight of their 6 spoke wheel (that I was hoping would be stronger for street use but was rejected by the salesman for not being compatible with my PW/B car because it does not come in matt black--it comes in hyper black but that resemble highly polished gunmetal). Edge Racing does not quote a weight for this wheel and neither does the 5 Zigen USA web site. The fellow who answered the phone was not a receptionist, but a staff member who was happy to look up the weight for a 16x7 wheel and kept calling me "bro". He said it is 17 pounds and "Have a good day, bro." I also learned how to pronounce 5 Zigen--5 Zee Gun (which I would not have expected of a G followed by an E).

Of course I agree with you about the 205/50 being more appropriate than 215/50. I thought that if I was going to get rid of perfectly acceptable R84s I might as well get a tire that may be slightly wide for a 6.5 rim (although maybe not). I was concerned about the bigger diameter because that sure won't help acceleration, but I am hoping the extra air will provide slightly more cushion in case of unforeseen potholes (we have potholes over a foot deep!). I am not concerned about a bumpy ride; I just want to reduce the chances of breaking a wheel or worse. And I hope the 215 width looks good although I understand that some 205s are a wide as 215s.

That's my wheel and tire sillyness for now (I'm also a big tipper in restaurants). I hope to post a pic in a couple weeks when they have been installed. Thanks again.

 

You'll get lots of opinions from tire shops on this one.

Quality forged rims:
Cost more but tend to weigh alot less within a given design
Are plenty strong given low weight
Stand up to punishment (on the track or on the street)
Have less selection of styles/sizes
(Don't use dedicated track rims for street use)

Cast rims:
Vary alot in quality and in weight (some are moderately light)
Can be damaged just like any other rim no matter how hefty
Vary alot in prices from budget to expensive
Come in a variety of finishes and styles

Take your pick. For street use, most decent cast wheels will work fine.

Local shop vs online wheel and tire store?
Good and bad for either, hopefully your local shop can give you support.
I know that tirerack.com and edgeracing.com stand behind their products.

In my area I can't find a really good shop that knows MINIs to my satisfaction. One prominent local tuner store manager told me to keep my stock wheels as I would not like the aftermarket wheel ride quality. That was four sets of wheels and six sets of tires ago.

SSR rims command high prices due to their very high quality. You get what you pay for.

 

Thanks again. If only SSRs came in matt black I would have made the extra effort and insisted on them. Guess that rumor about the company going under was untrue. I am heartened by your mention of 4 sets of wheels and 6 sets of tires. I won't feel so ridiculous if I buy new wheels again next time some extra cash drops in my lap--if only I had a garage instead of just one compact parking stall. As for not being able to find a shop that knows MINIs to your satisfaction imagine having to live in California instead of Hawaii. We all gotta compromise somewhere.